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Majors, Minors & Areas of Study

Contemplative Studies

Learn contemplatively to live mindfully.

When you minor in contemplative studies at the University of Mary Washington, you and your professors not only study contemplation from many disciplines and traditions but develop skill in mindfulness meditation practice itself. You’ll study its theory, science, and history and also practice self-reflection in a peer-supported, non-religious environment.

Areas of Study

This minor offers students a foundation in:

  1. the theory of contemplation across traditions and history
  2. the application of contemplation in human life, including philosophy, religion, art, and performance
  3. the scientific study of meditation, its cutting-edge technologies, and the data gathered to document its effects on the brain and well-being
  4. significant practical training and experience in secular meditative techniques to develop skills such as concentration and empathy and reduce qualities such as stress and self-critique.

Career Opportunities

Mindfulness training is currently being employed to enhance wellness and productivity in most industries: finance, tech, K-12 education, clinical psychology, medicine, and others. There is high demand for workers with specialized mindfulness training, especially those who are trained to teach it.

The Contemplative Studies Minor requires 18 credits. They will come from a choice of classes in contemplative practice, psychology, philosophy, religion, art history, biology, classics, geography, and anthropology.

There are no scholarships specifically for contemplative studies. Here is a link to all scholarships in Classics, Philosophy, & Religion.

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Majors, Minors & Areas of Study

Climate Science

Understanding climate – the extremes and the in-between.

Earth’s climate is constantly changing. If you are curious about how extreme those changes have been, how we know what the climate was like millions of years ago, and how we understand the atmospheric processes that cause weather and climate, the climate science minor is a good place to start.

Areas of Study

The UMW climate science minor is interdisciplinary, including courses from the departments of biology, chemistry, earth and environmental science, geography, and physics. It is also flexible – you can combine classes to fit your interests, skills, and goals. This minor is housed in the Department of Geography.

Career Opportunities

An undergraduate minor in climate science prepares you for graduate study in a variety of disciplines. It is also suitable for careers in planning and environmental consulting. For students interested in how the past has influenced modern landscapes and organisms, and for those who want to be more involved in conversations about climate change, this minor is for you.

Internships

University of Mary Washington’s proximity to Washington, D.C., gives students access to internships with federal agencies, local governments, private industry, and nonprofit organizations.

The climate science minor requires 16 to 18 credits from among geography, environmental science, biology, and physics classes. Required courses include the subjects of weather and climate, dynamic climatology, and climate change.

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Majors, Minors & Areas of Study

Environmental Sustainability

Sustainability – the science of smarter survival

Sustainability is the key that will allow humans to survive and thrive here on Earth in the face of so many dire environmental problems. UMW’s environmental sustainability minor program explores strategies for making responsible decisions to reduce negative impacts and ensure the conservation of our natural resources through environmental, social, economic, and cultural lenses. Examine society’s relationship with nature. Analyze methods of resolving resource issues.

Areas of Study

UMW’s minor in environmental sustainability has relevancy to all majors in today’s world. Take core courses for a foundation in environmental science. Then choose from electives carefully selected from such disciplines as biology, environmental science, geology, economics, geography, philosophy, and more to adapt the program to your own strengths, interests, and career goals.

Career Opportunities

There is steady demand in industry, government, education, and advocacy organizations for people trained in the environmental sciences. Many people who study environmental sustainability work in conservation, education and communication, environmental consulting, environmental management and planning, and parks and recreation. Many find work with government organizations like the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S Forest Service, private sector businesses like Seventh Generation and Whole Foods, and nonprofits like the Wilderness Society and the Sierra Club.

Internships

Up to three credits from internships available through UMW’s Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences can count towards the minor. The department has helped students land recent internships with the City of Fredericksburg, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Resources Conservation Services, Virginia Game and Inland Fisheries, Friends of the Rappahannock, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Marstel-Day LLC, U.S. Geological Survey, Greenpeace, and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.

Departmental honors are available in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, which hosts the environmental sustainability minor. Students who have completed Special Problems in Environmental Science or an individual study in geology may pursue an honors research project, including field or laboratory work, and resulting in a written thesis and oral defense.

The environmental sustainability minor requires 22-25 credits.

The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, which hosts the environmental sustainability minor, offers scholarships to aid students in their studies. For a complete list of scholarships offered at UMW, visit the Office of Financial Aid.

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Majors, Minors & Areas of Study

Pre-Conservation in Fine Art

Protect the irreplaceable.

Michelangelo’s masterpieces on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, da Vinci’s The Last Supper, Rembrandt’s The Night Watch – all examples of extraordinary works preserved to be appreciated for the ages. UMW’s pre-conservation in fine art minor program – open to art history, studio art, and chemistry majors – combines these disciplines. Learn to apply basic chemistry to artifact deterioration, evaluate conservation strategies, understand the ethics of art preservation, and advocate to preserve cultural heritage. This UMW program is designed to prepare students for graduate programs in conservation.

Areas of Study

The pre-conservation in fine art minor at Mary Washington combines the disciplines of chemistry, studio art, and art history.

Career Opportunities

UMW’s pre-conservation in fine art minor is designed to prepare students for graduate programs in art conservation. Conservators work in museums, heritage institutions, libraries, archives, laboratories, and government agencies. They are administrators, educators, scientists, technicians, and collections care specialists.

Internships

Internships, offering professional experience outside the classroom, are available to students in UMW’s pre-conservation in fine art minor. Recent studio art majors, for example, have landed internships at the UMW Galleries, Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Visual Arts Center in Richmond, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Whether you major in studio art, art history, or chemistry, Honors status is available to all qualified students in UMW’s pre-conservation in fine art minor.

The minor is open only to Art History, Studio Art and Chemistry majors. The major must have been declared before the student may declare this minor. Requirements depend on selected major.

For art history majors: 28 credit, including 16 credits in chemistry and 12 credits in upper-level art history and studio art courses.

For chemistry majors: 27 credits, including 15 credits in 100- and 200-level art history, and 12 credits from 300-level art history.

For studio art majors: 28 credits, including 16 credits in chemistry and 12 credits from 300-level art history.

The Department of Art and Art History, which hosts UMW’s pre-conservation in fine art minor program, offers scholarships, undergraduate research grants, and departmental awards. A complete list of scholarship opportunities available at UMW can be found with the Office of Financial Aid.

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Majors, Minors & Areas of Study

Social Justice

Are equality and fairness just an illusion?

UMW’s minor program in social justice attempts to bridge the gap between the ideal and the reality of our social situations. Explore injustices such as cultural imperialism, exploitation, human rights abuses, and physical violence. Study social movements and political philosophy. Become a well-informed citizen with the ability to look at social values and change from multiple perspectives.

Areas of Study

Choose from courses in economics, history, philosophy, anthropology, sociology, geography, and other disciplines. Course titles include Anthropology of Gender; World Regional Geography; Social and Political Philosophy; Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies; Poverty, Affluence, and Equality; Migration Politics in a Globalizing World; History of Sexuality in the U.S.; Racial and Ethnic Relations; and many more.

Career Opportunities

Career options for social justice scholars include activist, community organizer, public policy analyst, conflict resolution specialist, human relations worker, political campaigner, environmental organization worker, mediator, rights advocate, journalist, and lobbyist.

Internships

UMW’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology, which hosts the minor program in social justice, offers students real-world experience through a variety of available internships. Students in the sociology and anthropology programs have held recent internships at Micha Ecumenical Center, Thurman Brisben Homeless Shelter, disABILITY Resource Center, Empowerhouse, Stafford Junction, Refugee Resettlement Services of the Catholic Diocese, Lloyd F. Moss Free Clinic, Rappahannock Legal Services, and many more. Check out the entire list!

Students with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 are eligible to pursue an Honors distinction in sociology. To proceed, students must have completed the appropriate prerequisites to pursue a research project, as well as either History of Social Theory or Contemporary Sociological Theories, and three credits of Individual Study and Research. Students then prepare a formal, written honors project proposal and, if accepted, submit and defend an honors thesis.

Hosted by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, UMW’s minor program in social justice requires 18 credits, including Introduction to American Studies; four electives, three of which must be upper-level, drawn from at least three disciplines (including economics, history, philosophy, and more); and either Public Sociology (which includes training on participatory action research methods), an approved three-credit internship, or an approved three-credit course within a study abroad program.

UMW’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology, which hosts the minor program in social justice, offers several scholarships. For more information on scholarships offered at UMW, visit the Office of Financial Aid.